Ayote vs. Ayote Sazon

During the last quarter of the year, the rains in most regions of Costa Rica are often overwhelming, particularly for gardeners. Even so, there are hardy plants that grow well in rainy conditions. One such plant that is perfect for “fall” is called ayote in Spanish, Cucurbita maxima is the native pumpkin squash of the tropical Americas. Grown in Costa Rica by indigenous tribes for ages before the Europeans arrived, these hardy native plants are still one of the most important staple crops of the region. Resistant to insect attacks and plant diseases, they are easy to grow in the home garden, and available at most local farmer markets called ferias.

Ayote

Ayote – Ayotes , from the squash family, can be eaten tender or mature. When eaten tender, you can prepare them the same as you would a yellow summer or zucchini squash, eating the peel, seeds, and all. Costa Rican cooks prepare a tasty dish called Guieso de Ayote. It is a simple stew that is made exactly like picadillo de chayote (substiting the ayote for the chayote) and adding cream at the end of the cooking process. 

Ayote Sazon - Chinese Pumpkins

Meanwhile, mature (sazon) Ayote Sazon is prepared and used in the same manner as you would use a pumpkin. Many housewives prepare a cream de ayote or cream soup just like cream of pumpkin soup. It can also be candied by peeling the ayote, cutting it up into chucks and cooking it with water, cinnamon, and tapa dulce (molasses sugar) which makes for a sweet treat that is eaten as dessert. You can also use sazon ayotes in any recipe calling for pumpkin, including pumpkin pie.

Instant Pot Ayote Purée for Pumpkin Pie

Makes about 72 ounces (9 cups) purée

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1  Ayote Sazon

Wash and dry the Ayote Sazon. Place it on a cutting board with a damp dish towel underneath. (The towel prevents the board from slipping.) Using a serrated or paring knife, cut into quarters, remove seeds, like you would for pumpkins.

Set a wire rack in a 6-quart or larger electric pressure cooker. Add the water. Place the pumpkin cut-side up on the rack. Set the cook time for 6 minutes at high pressure. (If you over cook it, it will be much more challenging to remove from the rind.)

When the cooking time completes, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure (up to 15 minutes, 10 min is better). Open the pressure cooker and check the texture of the pumpkin. The pumpkin flesh should be fork tender. If it's not, cook for 2 minutes more at high pressure, repeating the natural release. Transfer the pumpkin to a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Once it is cooled, scrape the Ayote flesh away from the skin.

Option 1) Transfer the ayote to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Place in the strainer or colander. Using the back of a spoon, press on the pumpkin firmly to remove excess liquid (you can save the liquid to bake with later in Ayote breads and such).. Set aside to drain for 1 hour. Measure into 16-ounce portions, about 2 cups each. If any pumpkin remains, use it in smoothies.

Option 2) I use our Vitamix Blender. it takes about 10 seconds. I add some of the water from cooking the Ayote Sazon to the blender, and then I measure it in 2 cup amounts without letting it drain. And I freeze them in 2 cups in baggies in the freezer. It has worked fine, and I just try to get it to an apple sauce texture. I do like it cook a little extra in the oven.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Keep the purée in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or place the fully cooled purée into a plastic freezer bag. Flatten and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. I also have used the double boiler method to quickly thaw the frozen puree.

Using like canned pumpkin: 1 (16-ounce) batch of homemade purée is equivalent to 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée.

Directions for baking the seeds

1. Seed the Ayote: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a spoon, scrape the pulp and seeds out of your pumpkin into a bowl.

2. Clean the seeds: Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water, then shake dry. If you choose to blot with paper towels, the seeds will stick, but you can easily pull them off of the paper towel.

3. Dry them: Spread the seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper and roast 30 minutes to dry them out.

4. Add spices: Toss the seeds with olive oil (optional), salt and your choice of spices. Return to the oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 20 more minutes.

5. Or if you like them sweet, toss with cinnamon and sugar (do not use salt in step 4).

http://www.ticotimes.net/2010/09/18/delicious-ayote-grows-well-in-rainy-season

http://www.welovecostarica.com/cooking-in-costa-rica-how-to-prepare-those-strange-vegetables-you-find-at-the-feria/

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pumpkin-seeds-recipe-2105941

LA UCHUVA EN COSTA RICA

Wrapped in delicate paper petals, the Inca berry -- known as uchuva in Costa Rica-- delivers a sweet burst of flavor followed by a tart finish. This antioxidant-packed superfruit is also known as the golden berry, cape gooseberry and Aztec berry, and is a cousin to the similarly shaped tomatillo. Native to the Andes of South America, Physalis peruviana is cultivated in small pockets of Costa Rica, and is prized for its unique taste and nutritional benefits.

Each spherical, yellow fruit is like a small gift, sheathed in a thin paper husk. Simply peel it off, and eat the uchuva raw for a tangy treat. The fruit can also be enjoyed dried, made into jams, mixed in with salads, or added to your favorite bread or muffin recipe. A true superfood, the Inca berry has more dietary fiber than prunes, is an excellent source of vitamin B12, and is chock full of phosphorous, Vitamin A and C. Inca berries are ideal for vegetarians as they have around 16% protein, which is very high for a fruit. A great energy booster and light in calories, the fruit makes a wonderful pre-workout snack or guilt-free dessert. It is also known for the power to purify the blood, tones the optic nerve and is effective in the treatment of cataracts and conditions in the mouth and throat. In addition, it eliminates albumin from the kidneys and is recommended to destroy whipworms, intestinal parasites and amebas.

When you are in Costa Rica and you're at the market, ask if any vendors are selling "besos de amor," which translates into kisses of love-- a common nickname for the Inca berry. :) 

Mamón chino

Mamón chino is thought to have originated in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is called rambutan (“ram-boo-tan”). In Costa Rica, mamón chino roughly translates to “Chinese sucker.” Since that doesn’t really have a nice ring to it in English, we just call them mamón chinos, since that is easiest enough to say.

They are also called mamones (“ma-moan-nez”) for short. These fruits grow on farms, primarily in the Caribbean and the Osa Peninsula. Once a tree has matured enough to bear fruit, green thorny balls will appear that gradually turn red as they ripen over the course of about 6 months. 

How do you eat them?

For beginners, this hairy, funny-looking fruit can look quite intimidating to eat.
Fear not — devouring them is easy. Just slice open the lychee, or the outside around the center with a small knife (or your fingernails), and pop off the top. Or if you’re really impatient, gnaw at it with your teeth until you’ve exposed the fleshy insides. 

Once you’ve discarded the red spiked shell, pop the smooth white oblong sphere into your mouth. We think it tastes and feels similar to the inside of a grape.  However, gently chew or suck on because there is a large seed in the middle, which you can spit out and throw away (although some say that you can boil the pits and eat them for an extra nutritional kick).

The inside of a Mamón Chino.

Zapotes

 

Zapote (pronounced sat-poe-tay) is also know by the name Mamey Sapote.  It's an oval fuzzy fruit with a bright orange interior and large black pit. 

In trying to describe this fruit, this is as close as I can come. It has a texture similar to a ripe avocado. The taste is a combination of brown sugar, sweet potatoes, almonds, with a hint of apricots and fig. Altogether, it tastes like something completely new!

The fruits are not only tasty, they are also pretty healthy! They are high in Calcium, Vitamin C, Carotene, Iron, Potassium, and Vitamin A. Zapotes can be found growing in southern Florida south down through Central America. If you are traveling in Costa Rica between the months of February and June, you can make the Zapote part of your adventure!

A Zapote tree.